In many prokaryotes, the genes for the enzymes of one metabolic pathway sit side by side and are transcribed together as one messenger RNA from a single promoter. What is this arrangement called?

Core Concept

In many prokaryotes, genes whose products work in the same pathway can be organized into an operon and transcribed together from shared regulatory DNA into one RNA molecule. Coordinated regulation lets the cell increase or decrease production of the pathway's proteins together. The foundation concept is coordinated gene regulation, not memorization of every named regulatory sequence.